Billion Dollar Painter
The Triumph and Tragedy of Thomas Kinkade, Painter of Light
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Narrated by:
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Jim Meskimen
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By:
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G. Eric Kuskey
About this listen
The unbelievable true story of artist Thomas Kinkade, self-described "Painter of Light," and the dramatic rise - and fall - of his billion-dollar gallery and licensing business.
He was just one man, but Thomas Kinkade ultimately made more money from his art than every other artist in the history of the world combined. His sentimental paintings of babbling brooks, rural churches surrounded by brilliant fall foliage, and idyllic countryside cottages were so popular in the 1990s that it is estimated that one out of every 20 homes in America owned one of his prints. With the help of two partners - a former vacuum-cleaner salesman and an ambitious junior accountant who fancied himself a businessman - Kinkade turned his art into a billion-dollar gallery and licensing business that traded on the New York Stock Exchange before it collapsed in 2006 amid fraud accusations.
One part fascinating business story about the rise and demise of a financial empire born out of divine inspiration, one part dramatic biography, Billion Dollar Painter is the account of three nobodies who made it big. One was a man who, despite being a devout Christian who believed his artwork was a spiritual force that could cure the sick and comfort the poor in spirit, could not save his art empire - or himself.
G. Eric Kuskey, former colleague of Thomas Kinkade and close friend until the artist's death in 2012, tells Kinkade's story for the first time, from his art's humble beginnings on a sidewalk in Carmel, California, to his five-house compound in Monte Sereno. It's a tale of addiction and grief, of losing control, and ultimately, of the price of our dreams.
©2014 G. Eric Kuskey (P)2014 Blackstone AudiobooksListeners also enjoyed...
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- Narrated by: Joe Plumeri, Joseph A. Califano Jr.
- Length: 4 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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Everyone imagines top CEOs as larger-than-life figures who do things no one else could. But deep down every good business leader is an everyman who combines vision and high energy with the ability to connect with all types of people and learn from them
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Go Play in Traffic!
- By Teri Gasper on 01-03-18
By: Joe Plumeri
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The Wizard of Ads
- Turning Words into Magic and Dreamers into Millionaires
- By: Roy H. Williams
- Length: 4 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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With the knowledge of a seasoned business consultant and the warmth and wit of a natural storyteller, the Wizard will help you to multiply the effectiveness of your advertising, understand the tug-of-war between intellect and emotion, and more.
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If you have a hard time hearing don't waste your time
- By Michelle J on 01-09-17
By: Roy H. Williams
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High-Hanging Fruit
- Build Something Great by Going Where No One Else WIll
- By: Mark Rampolla
- Narrated by: Mark Rampolla
- Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
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When Mark Rampolla filled a notebook with potential start-up ideas, his wife asked him some tough questions. What about this idea is exciting, beyond the possibility of a profit? How will it fit into a life that makes you and your family happy? How will it change the world? Eventually Mark found his great idea: coconut water. He had seen the developing world use coconut water, but this valuable resource was being discarded in the US. While taking on the beverage industry was a big goal - high-hanging fruit - it was worth the risk.
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10 Chapter Infomercial
- By KIM WILLIAMSON on 02-16-20
By: Mark Rampolla
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A Man and His Mountain
- The Everyman Who Created Kendall-Jackson and Became America's Greatest Wine Entrepreneur
- By: Edward Humes
- Narrated by: Mel Foster
- Length: 12 hrs and 30 mins
- Unabridged
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A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist tells the story of the self-made billionaire who built the Kendall-Jackson empire from nothing into the biggest-selling brand of premium wines in the U.S. Jess Stonestreet Jackson was one of a small band of pioneering entrepreneurs who put California's wine country on the map. His life story is a compelling slice of history, daring, innovation, feuds, intrigue, talent, mystique, contrarianism, and luck, offering a unique window on the elegant, adventurous, and cut-throat worlds of Jackson's two passions: wine and horseracing.
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Required listening for any wine maker
- By Michael Carr on 01-10-15
By: Edward Humes
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Glass House
- The 1% Economy and the Shattering of the All-American Town
- By: Brian Alexander
- Narrated by: Bob Souer
- Length: 11 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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The Anchor Hocking Glass Company, once the world's largest maker of glass tableware, was the base on which Lancaster's society was built. As Glass House unfolds, bankruptcy looms. With access to the company and its leaders, and Lancaster's citizens, Alexander shows how financial engineering took hold in the 1980s, accelerated in the 21st century, and wrecked the company.
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What really happened to the American Dream?
- By Bill on 05-10-17
By: Brian Alexander
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Bend, Not Break
- A Life in Two Worlds
- By: Ping Fu, MeiMei Fox
- Narrated by: Robin Miles
- Length: 10 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
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Ping Fu knows what it’s like to be a child soldier, a factory worker, and a political prisoner. To be beaten and raped for the crime of being born into a well-educated family. To be deported with barely enough money for a plane ticket to a bewildering new land. To start all over, without family or friends, as a maid, waitress, and student. Ping Fu also knows what it’s like to be a pioneering software programmer, an innovator, a CEO, and Inc. magazine’s Entrepreneur of the Year.
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A true account as good as any Horatio Alger story!
- By Roy B. Paschal on 01-14-13
By: Ping Fu, and others
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Mr. & Mrs. Hollywood
- Edie and Lew Wasserman and Their Entertainment Empire
- By: Kathleen Sharp
- Narrated by: Tavia Gilbert
- Length: 18 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Ever wonder why so many B actors wind up as A-grade politicians? Or how the casting couch worked? Acclaimed author Kathleen Sharp traces the influence of show business through the lives of its first power couple. Edie and Lew Wasserman built the world’s largest talent agency, MCA, created the multibillion-dollar Universal Studios, and helped shape Washington, DC.
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Best Book I Have Heard In A Long Time!!!
- By James M. Patton on 09-25-16
By: Kathleen Sharp
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Mar-a-Lago
- Inside the Gates of Power at Donald Trump's Presidential Palace
- By: Laurence Leamer
- Narrated by: Todd McClaren
- Length: 10 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
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To know Donald J. Trump - to understand what makes the 45th president of the US tick - it is best to start in his natural habitat: Palm Beach, Florida. It is here he learned the techniques that took him all the way to the White House. Painstakingly, over decades, he has created a world in this exclusive tropical enclave and favorite haunt of billionaires where he is not just president but a king. The vehicle for his triumph is Mar-a-Lago, one of the greatest mansions ever built in the US.
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No surprises but would have liked more
- By B. Howard on 02-19-19
By: Laurence Leamer
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The Zeroes
- My Misadventures in the Decade Wall Street Went Insane
- By: Randall Lane
- Narrated by: Randall Lane
- Length: 12 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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Magazine entrepreneur Randall Lane had a prime seat at Wall Street's biggest greed fest. The Zeroes is a memoir about the excesses and bad behavior of an outsider who got pulled into a crazy, self-contained world.
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A very entertaining tale
- By andy on 11-03-13
By: Randall Lane
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Unlabel
- Selling You Without Selling Out
- By: Marc Ecko
- Narrated by: Todd Haberkorn, Marc Ecko
- Length: 8 hrs and 47 mins
- Unabridged
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Instructive as it is innovative, Unlabel will empower you to channel your creativity, find the courage to defy convention, and summon the confidence to act and compete in any environment. This blueprint will teach you how to grow both creatively and commercially by testing your personal brand against the principles of the Authenticity Formula. Marc Eckō shares the bruising mistakes and remarkable triumphs that reveal the truth behind his success, growing from a misfit kid airbrushing T-shirts in his parents' garage to the bold creator of two hugely successful branded platforms.
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...So Real, It Should Be Illegal
- By 2Fresh on 01-20-16
By: Marc Ecko
What listeners say about Billion Dollar Painter
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- S. Freeman
- 12-21-21
Excellent
Very well done where is the Movie?! Tremendously emotional but shows that no matter how much you make Satan can intervene!
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- ginatheartist
- 01-24-21
Enjoyable listen
Well done. I can’t stand Thomas Kincade as an artist myself but I enjoyed listening to his life story and downfall. It could make a good movie with all the drama that happened. .
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- Deborah
- 11-01-16
Riveting!
What a story! The more I listened, the more I was drawn to it. How terribly sad the way alcohol affected this man's life! The grief it brought upon himself and his family. Money sure does not buy happiness! I've always believed that, but this book sure brings that point home. I'll never look at his paintings in quite the same way again. They are utterly beautiful, but when you know the truth of the painter behind them, all you can think is "how sad!" Interesting story. The narrator is very good! He did a superb job, actually.
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- Olivia
- 03-13-21
Very sad and eye opening...
such a sad story and yet hopeful...a brief example to pay attention to the dark clouds in our own lives and not let them stifle our light
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-09-21
Absolutely fascinating!
This is an incredibly well written and performed story. It’s a captivating journey through both the beauty and tragedy of one artist’s life. Some biographies can lull a bit in areas. This one never did. Several critics of Kincaid’s paintings were mentioned in the book, but I don’t remember their names. I think that’s a larger testament to what he brought to the world.
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- Low
- 05-09-17
Wow
Really well written, and very good narration. Amazing story. I couldn't turn it off. Thanks
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-21-24
Thomas Kinkade
I went on a cruise in January of 2024 and they were offering an information session on Thomas Kinkade. I had no idea who that was but I’ve been trying to teach myself how to paint. I recognized his paintings immediately but had no idea his art branched out so far. When I got home I wanted to learn more about him. The presentation had me questioning if he was really as good and religious as the presenter made it seem or was he just a businessman protecting his image. This book answered so many questions. I really loved it.
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- Tyehimba Jahsi
- 04-29-15
Excellent Book, Excellently Performed!
So eye-opening. The man's paintings are now ten times more powerful in my mind now that I understand his rise, his struggles, his creative mindset and energy, the role others played in his life and art business, and above all, the contrast between his triumphant artist spirit and inner weaknesses that finally brought him down. Very humbling and enlightening. And the Audible narration was superb!
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6 people found this helpful
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- kristina landin
- 10-28-21
Very Well Written
This account combines eulogy with storytelling chronicling a man's life as an artist within his personal philosophy. It was so enthralling from start to finish.
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- jwj
- 03-02-22
Fascinating character study of flawed man
Very insightful. Had no idea the kind of demons Kinkade fought during his career. Definitely a cautionary tale for the dangers of not truly living up to one's ideals (and the destructive power of corporate greed...)
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